# Year in Industry report - December
###### tags: `magic42 New Developer Induction`

## Week rundown
### Week 1
- I completed my first issue that shows a tangible effect on the frontend of a client's website, and it was very motivating to see my changes reflected on the actual website.
- I have been tackling a very difficult series of xml-related issues, which while extremely challenging and quite frustrating is a useful learning experience. I have picked up a lot of tricks to use in future issues.
- Another issue used some very complicated JQuery, that was running into issues between the definition in a phtml file and the execution in a javascript file. Finding out how to debug this is a problem I would like to find the solution to.
- Despite these difficulties, I was able to pull through thanks to the support of my team. [I am on/nearly on track despite this]

### Week 2
* I started the week by performing a research task for a potential new client, which was really compelling as I was able to see a part of the development process that I haven't before. I investigated the client's requests, focusing it into a series of issues that can be presented back to the client. I'm finding this aspect really interesting, as it lets me use my problem solving and organisational skills without getting bogged down in code.
* My other issues this week have me exploring new elements of Magento, such as the database and admin panel.
* I have started my Smart Learning Project (SLP), where I take half a day out to learn personal skills. I've began with some tricky PHP projects, which is a nice change of pace from day-to-day programming and helps with my overall grasp of PHP.

### Week 3
- My team has spent the first part of this week clearing up small issues so we can start with new work in the new year.
- I therefore spent the week juggling about 6 issues at once in various stages of the development pipeline, which was an unusual multitasking challenge I haven't faced before.
- This also meant I've spent a lot of time in the later sections of the development pipeline, managing code merges and releases. It was really interesting, as I haven't seen these areas of the process before.
- I've made arrangements in my SLP project to work with other aspects of the job, such as designers and team leaders.

### Week 4
I was not at work this week due to the holidays

## New skills learned
* Advanced styling selectors in scss
* Understanding complex xml layouts quickly and effectively
* The Magento SQL database and how it can be manipulated
* Merging branches and code releases